Sushi Zo

Los Angeles, CA

After much research and debate on picking the best Sushi place in LA (sans Urasawa) we opted to have lunch at Sushi Zo. A couple of apprehensions to selecting Sushi Zo were there; are no menus, everything is omakase, thus you don't the costs, so you don't know how much you're spending,  plus apparently the sushi chef is really mean. No use of phones, not letting the sushi sit for more than ten seconds, he's been depicted as a sushi nazi. In reality, Keizo, who is actually a very cordial man, simply does not want to make any sacrifice to the product he is offering. He simply wants you to respect the skill involved in his profession and enjoy the food exactly the way it's prepared, no extra soy or wasabi.  For Chu-Toro and I, we're totally fine with that mentality because out of respect, he knows best, and there's no reason to argue with that. For a Michelin starred sushi restaurant in LA, there's no glitz or glam to the location of Zo, it's literally in a strip mall. Next to a Starbucks in a Rite Aid shopping center, we almost didn't go inside at noon on a Friday for lunch because it was completely empty. We even made a reservation, but sat alone at the empty sushi bar. We were almost frightened, thinking we were in the wrong place. How did we end up picking this place, we thought? Well, we're glad we did, because the next two hours were like losing our sushi virginity. Unbelievable. 

Kumamoto Oyster

I can't remember the description of ever course, there were almost 30 offerings in total, but can tell you, every bite was the freshest quality product I've ever had. We had never been to any sushi place up to the quality of Zo   and Mori Sushi (also in LA) is the only thing in the same argument. We're saving the $1000 meal to Urasawa when we decide to have our first kid (can't have sushi while you're pregnant). Anyways, we were started with the best Kumamoto oyster i've had in my life, sorry hog island. 

Toro Shashimi

Next up was four luscious pieces each of toro shashimi. Melt in your mouth, amazing. 

Abalone

The abalone was interesting. Simply and beautifully presented, it was crunchy, with a sea water sweetness, but not something I would specifically order. The green, spicy pickled sauce was also interesting.

Uni Ika noodles

Uni ika noodles was next, I dream of this bite all the time. Mixed fresh in front of you, you never want to see a beautiful piece of uni crushed into little bits, unless its for this dish. Great texture, smooth, cool, almost light flavor, perfectly capturing and balancing the uni with the squid and freshly grated wasabi, real wasabi, grated by shark's skin. Wonderful. This is the dish that made me fall in love with uni. 

Halibut

Halibut was the first piece of nigiri. We were instructed to dip a little soy sauce. Nice start.

Albacore

Still the best Albacore, I've ever had, you can see how fatty it is. Hmm...

Spanish Mackerel

I didn't know I like Spanish Mackerel until I had this one. I basically had to throw out all my prior experiences of what I thought I liked, because tasting a high level quality fish can basically make any nigiri taste amazing.

Hotate

A very good, smooth, tender piece of hotate was next continuing the excellence.

Hamachi

Hamachi, a  regular staple for us was good, but not amazing. I guess when you get some better quality from other fishes, you realize how much more there is that hamachi and toro. 

Chu-Toro

Just look at the Chu-toro, it could not be any more beautiful.Really fatty and superb. Still haven't been able to find any toro that comes close to how amazing this was.

I don't recall the next piece of nigiri, but it was topped with the same pickled spicy topping as the abalone.

I also don't recall the next piece of nigiri, but it looks good too.

Ohno - Butterfish

The Ohno was delightful. You can see from the picture, it's exterior had been slightly cooked with a hand torch, but the interior remained cold and fresh like a normal nigiri piece. The large piece of butterfish was melt in your mouth excellent.

Cod Smelt

I don't get excited about the idea of having smelt, but it turned out to be really great. Tying items you would never normally order yourself is part of the eye opening experience here. It really makes you appreciate and like things you thought you never would, like cod smelt.

I don't recall this nigiri, so I can't claim to have liked or disliked it, but I'm sure it was good.

Giant Clam

The giant clam was interesting, lots of bite,almost chewy, not the greatest, but nice to try.

Sake

Salmon was up next, and was very good. It was not as fatty or perfect as the toro, but pretty damn good nonetheless. It was topped by fresh seaweed. 

How could I forget this one? It looks really good, but don't remember what it was.

Ankimo

One of the memorable firsts that I had at Zo was the ankimo, which I look for on the menu at any sushi restaurant now. None of them have been able to meet up to this first taste, which was rich and creamy, but not overly fishy like over servings I've had. Really amazing.

Red Snapper

Apparently this is what red snapper is suppose to look like. It tasted equally awesome.

Uni and Ikura

Ikura's not exactly my fav, just because I don't appreciate it. Zo's offering exposed us to what it's suppose to taste like, sweet, salty, cool, ocean sea water. Although its still not in my top ten, I really liked tasting a good example. The uni, was then, the best uni I've ever had.

I don't recall this one either, but it was really beautiful as well. The items that I don't recall were still excellent, since everything I had was amazing.

Orange clam

The orange clam was lightly covered with sea salt and was a little gummy and chewy. It was nice to try, but wouldn't order it again.

Blue Crab Hand Roll

Hmm...blue crab hand roll. Have you see how small blue crabs are? Imagine how difficult it is to get out any meat. My presumption is there's at least three crabs worth of meat in this little hand roll, which was wonderfully delicious.

Tamego

Tamego is the sign for the end, although we weren't quite done yet. Keizo's preparation was very good.

Halibut fin

One of my favorite bites of the entire meal was the Halibut fin. Gentle, soft, tender small pieces of the fin were quickly cooked with a hand torch and topped with sauce. Just unbelievable. I have yet to have another item like it.

Halibut fin 2

The whole intact nigiri version of the halibut fin was completely different. Topped with sea salt, it was similar to the orange clam, crunchy, chewy needing a strong bite. I preferred the previous preparation, but it was nice to experience the contrast.

Yuzu

Keizo tops off the meal with a small shot of yuzu, which is the perfect balanced pallet cleanser after a stuffing of nigiri. 

Keizo at Sushi Bar

All my sushi experiences are compared to Sushi Zo. The consistency of excellence is there (testament by an equally amazing second visit). The quality is always superb and the preparation perfect. The weakness of this Michelin starred establishment is the variety in the menu. During our second visit, the omakase was nearly the exact same menu, with only 5 different offerings (amaebi, needlefish, baby squid, ika, and toro hand roll). For those who like variety, this would constitute as an extremely repetitive meal. With that being said, I'd still come here at least once a year to drop $300 (for two) for an amazing sushi experience. It may be my sentimental connection that I have with Sushi Zo that makes me prefer to all other sushi bars (since it first exposed me to really amazing sushi) but isn't that what food is about anyways? I can't wait to travel to Japan to have my eyes opened again to what I'm missing, but until then, Zo is my standard for excellence.

Rating 9/10

December 28, 2009

February 27, 2009 

Perbacco

San Francisco, CA

It's always a fun to dine with LoKo and try new places in the city. For her birthday, we decided on Perbacco, a popular Italian place in the financial district. For a Tuesday evening, it was packed, with every table filled and a bar area also swamped. By the time I got there on a rainy evening, I was starved and ready for some good food. Not sure why we keep going to Italian, but our last meal at A16 was not a success, so I tried to keep my expectations in control for Perbacco. 

We decided to skip the appetizers and jump into a trio of pastas, a tasting portion of three different pastas; the Coujette, a occitaine potato gnocchi, the Pappardelle, a wide pasta ribbon, and the Tortelli Di Zucca, pasta filled with roasted butternut squash

Pasta Trio

All three pastas were good, the best being the gnocchi (left), a stark contrast from A16's. The gnocchi was well prepared, light and tasty, drenched in a duck ragu. The totelli de zucca (right) was also tasty, a well balanced, flavorful stuffed pasta with rapini. The parpardelle (middle) was good, but somewhat bland, needing a little larger flavor profile.

Capicollo Arrosto

We shared the entrée, Capicollo Arrosto, featuring slow roasted pork shoulder, roasted grapes, hazelnut polenta in a cugna reduction. Given the dish was split, it was quite large. it was also nice, they had plated it individually for us. We also ordered a side of overcooked brussel sprouts. The pork was good, not great and was not fall off the bone tender as you would want from a slow roasted piece of pork. The polenta was additionally subpar, but I like the roasted grapes which added a sweetness to the dish. The gnocchi at this point was expanding so we skipped over dessert.

Perbacco offered us a good solid meal, with a couple pasta highlights and a hearty sized entrée. The service was kind and attentive and the prices are reasonable. Not a place I'd go out of my way for, but if you're in the financial district looking for tasty pastas, Perbacco is a good option.

Rating 6.5/10

November 9, 2010

Boulette's Larder

San Francisco, CA

Boulette's Larder is quintessential Californian fare, fresh, seasonal, organic dishes, well prepared, a la Alice Walters philosophy. I've been to the Ferry building dozens of times for Saturday's farmers market, Hog island, Acme bread, Cowgirl creamery, Boccalone Salumeria and Premivera, but never noticed this place. How could this be? Maybe because on Saturday's they don't do a table service because of the market, and instead they sell hot chocolate for an astounding $6 per cup (like small paper coffee cup). Or maybe it's because the few times i have walked through, their display case reads with fine dining costs, very pricey. So what finally convinced me otherwise? Well it's been on my radar since Rick Bayless and Alice Walters both raved about it, and Chu-Toro opted to come here instead of Tartine Bakery in the mission. We arrive at 10 AM on a Sunday morning exactly when they opened and there was already a list of a dozen names on the reservation list. We happened to luck out getting an outdoor table for two. The brunch menu was compact with a handful of courses and beverages. We teetered between going with more breakfast-like items (eggs) or more savory lunch dishes. Per the server's recommendation, we went with a shared order of beignets, scrambled eggs with vegetable ragut (which at least one person at every table got) and poached eggs.

B L beignets

The beignets ($10) came with a shot of their hot chocolate, extremely rich and chocolaty, no wonder they only sell a small coffee cup on Saturdays. The donut hole sized beignets were excellent. Piping hot, crunchy on the outside but fluffy and almost custard like on the inside. Not a classic beignet, but a great addictive dish.

Poached Eggs

I ordered the poached eggs ($16.5), which were very hearty and tasty. I don't recall the vegetables, although I think it was swiss card, beans, and parsley, topped with shaved parmigiano-reggiano, but the combination of flavors exploded with each bite. It didn't hit me at first but it was a very filling dish.

Scrambled Eggs with Seasonal Vegetable Ragut

Chu-toro went with the scrambled eggs with the seasonal vegetable ragut ($18). The good sized portion of eggs were light, fluffy and eggy, but the star of the meal was the ragut. I recall sweet potatoes and baby radishes, but whatever else was in it was perfect as well. The vegetable concoction was bursting with flavor and really encompasses the philosophy behind this cooking style. By allowing the organic product to shine by its natural flavors yet combine them in such a way that makes you envious you can't make it yourself, is what really amazing Californian food is all about. Boulette's Larder showcases it perfectly and despite the heavy bill ($72 for two), it's definitely worth the trip. 

Rating 8/10

November 14, 2010

Shaddy Approved

Quince

I'm not sure when I first wanted to dine at Quince, but it has been a long time. There's a long debate of the best pasta in the city and Michael Tusk's restaurant is always in the conversation. Armed with high expectations on the food, attempting to live up to the "coveted" Michelin star rating, and reports that their service is often snooty, we entered the meal with a level of uncertainty. Let me start off by stating, it is a gorgeous architectural designed restaurant.  We sat in a grey suede corner booth of the center dining room, with high ceilings, black molding, dim lights and a majority of the patrons in suits and dresses. We opted for the tasting menu, quite pricey at $95 for only five courses. Chu-Toro had a glass of Prosecco and I had a Belgium beer (the name escapes me).

Mushroom Soup

Mini Baugette, Rosemary roll

We were started with an amuse bouche of mushroom soup. Chu-Toro tasted heavy umami flavors, but i just found it to be tart, almost sour. Not a good start in my mind. The bread offering was somewhat disappointing also. Although, the bread itself was tasty (especially the rosemary, very oily but similar to a brioche) it was cold. Cold as if it had been sitting in the kitchen all afternoon, which was unfortunate. 

Japanese Octopus "Al Vapore," Celery, Granny Smith Apples
Osetra Caviar 

First course was the octopus "Al Vapore," which tasted like exactly like chicken salad with octopus. The quality of the octopus was good, but we didn't care for the flavor combination because we couldn't get over the fact the heavy celery and green apple usage is classic chicken salad. A sad disappointment. 

Spaghetti "Alla Chitarra," Mendocino Sea Urchin, Fennel, Hot Pepper

We were mixed on the next course, squid ink spaghetti with sea urchin. First off, the quality of the sea urchin was crap. We're probably really harsh since we're big sushi eaters, but I thought it was about the quality you could get in a Japanese grocery store, a huge letdown. Second, uni and squid ink? That's like fois and steak, it works sometimes (see below), but it's heavy on heavy. Maybe that's the style at Quince, heavy flavors was an overriding theme, but when we started the dish, it was just too much. Eventually, the fennel and hot pepper flavors came through and the conclusion of the offering was solid, but not great. For a pasta mastermind, I was hoping for more.

Cappelletti, Sunchoke and Burgundy Truffle

The next pasta offering was even more of a let down. I think the theme at Quince is heavy flavors since this was the heaviest pasta I've ever had. First off, their idea of "al dente" is debatable, since one of my pasta bites was very undercooked. Secondly, this dish displayed a single flavor profile, not layered as I would hope for from a stuffed pasta. Since this was our last pasta offering, I just kept thinking about how much i like Osteria Mozza or Bottega so much more.

Five Dot Ranch Beef Rib Cap, porcini mushroom, potato gratin, fois gras
and swiss chard

At this point, I was pretty upset because I came to Quince for pasta and was discouraged with what I experienced. The first stages of the meal were poor, and it had me thinking that this was going to be the most overrated Michelin starred meal ever, bumping Terra for that title. Surprisingly, the main entrée was pretty good. Our favorite piece of steak ever was the Beef Rib Cap at Benu, and although were not expecting a repeat, Quince's course was well executed and flavorful. Although my first bite was overcooked, the rest of beef was juicy and tasty. It didn't encompass the depth of flavors as Benu's, but on a night of underwhelming pastas, it was a good dish. The potato gratin was subpar and we didn't finish it.

Quince sorbet, pomegranate  - Intermezzo

We had a nice intermezzo next, a well prepared and tasty sorbet following our entrée. 

Buckwheat Crespelle with Huckleberry Ice Cream, Hudson Ranch Pear,
Caramel and Sage Brown Butter

The one item on the menu we weren't really looking forward to, ended up being the best. The buckwheat crespelle was excellent, sweet, savory and well balanced. The pear and brown butter were perfectly paired and the huckleberry ice cream, although not good as the previous sorbet, added a refreshing fruity ending.

Mignardises

Having gone through many tasting menus at this point, we all have our little nuisances that help push or pull down a rating of a restaurant. An elusive one that Chu-Toro appreciates, that she has only experienced once (at Cyrus) is receiving warmed milk with her coffee. We were sure that we'd get it at TFL or Meadowood, but Cyrus has stood alone in that simple distinction, until Quince joined that group this evening. 

Coffee and WARM milk

That simple detail alone pushed them up a half a point per Chu-Toro. The reports that the service is snooty were completely wrong in my experience. The servers were cordial, helpful, and kind throughout the subpar meal. Overall, a rather disappointing night in which we have no further plans to return to the popular San Francisco establishment. 


Rating 6/10
November 13, 2010  

Tony's Pizza Napoletana

San Francisco, CA

Tony's Pizza Napoletana has been opened a short time but already has a huge fanfare on Yelp. Famous for his Margherita pizza, a 2007 World Pizza Cup Winner in Naples, Italy, Tony Geminani's North Beach pizzeria features a large selection of authentic Italian pies with organic ingredients. Arriving at noon exactly when they open, we lucked out since there was only one outdoor table left on a beautiful sunny 70 degree Saturday in the city. We started with a Peroni (on tap) and house specialty iced tea (weird herb flavored). From the rave reviews online, we came prepared to order their Italian meatballs, the famous Margherita and decided on the clam and garlic pizza upon arrival. 

Bread and Olive Oils

We started off with some bread and olive oil, decent bread paired with very good olive oil. 

Meatballs

The three large baseball sized meatballs ($5) were drenched in an excellent marinara sauce. 

Margherita - 2007 World Pizza Cup Winner, Naples Italy

The Margherita pizza ($19) was up next, piping hot out of the oven. We're not huge margherita fans because usually they're boring, but this one was very impressive. There were layers of flavor behind the tart, tomato base, great snap to the mozzarella and a tasty, chewy crust. I've never had a margherita like it and it was very good. I still prefer a pizza from Mozza or Cheeseboard, but Tony's pizza did live up to the hype.

Clam & Garlic Pizza

Next up was the clam and garlic pizza ($21), also very good. The crust was thin and not as good as the margherita, but the clams....WOW. I've never had so many clams on a pizza before, each bite had a minimum of five clams. Also, the presentation of a shelled clam on each slice was a nice touch. The cheese was really good, combined with the dice garlic and roasted cloves, it was another enjoyable winner. 

My only complaint was that the pizzas came out together, and as they cooled, the pizzas weren't nearly as good. The service has also been subjects of complaints on yelp, but we found ours solid. Also, it was a pretty pricey lunch, with the pizzas were about 12 inches in diameter, six slices each. We weren't disappointed and glad we found another good place to enjoy pizza with Shaddy in the city.

Rating 7.5/10

November 13, 2010

Shaddy Approved